Call it a soap opera if you like, but "No Down Payment" is a riveting slice of late 1950s life from Surburbia, USA. This movie follows the intertwining lives of several suburban families in a generic U.S. city, and is fascinating to watch.
We've all seen the characters in our own lives: the bookish engineer (Hunter), the quietly desperate alcoholic car salesman (Randall), the town official with nothing but excuses (Hingle), the violent type that settles everything with his fists (Mitchell), and so on. Great acting by all concerned, along with Ritt's sure direction, make this a winner.
My only complaint is the women's roles. Joanne Woodward produces a great performance, but all the other women's roles are somewhat one-dimensional, and involve spending all day keeping house or setting the dinner table. I guess it's a reflection of the 1950s, but it's still disappointing.
Fine performances, particularly from Woodward, Hunter, and Randall, produce a grade-A effort. Watch it with the 1950s in mind.
We've all seen the characters in our own lives: the bookish engineer (Hunter), the quietly desperate alcoholic car salesman (Randall), the town official with nothing but excuses (Hingle), the violent type that settles everything with his fists (Mitchell), and so on. Great acting by all concerned, along with Ritt's sure direction, make this a winner.
My only complaint is the women's roles. Joanne Woodward produces a great performance, but all the other women's roles are somewhat one-dimensional, and involve spending all day keeping house or setting the dinner table. I guess it's a reflection of the 1950s, but it's still disappointing.
Fine performances, particularly from Woodward, Hunter, and Randall, produce a grade-A effort. Watch it with the 1950s in mind.